Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: Part 2, Chapter 14 Summary & Analysis

Arronax rushes up to the platform. He asks Nemo if they are at the South Pole, but Nemo isn’t sure. Along with Conseil, the two men set to work observing the local plants, sea creatures, and birds, including penguins. Arronax notices that Nemo seems “impatient and vexed.” They pass some walruses, which Conseil doesn’t recognize because he has never seen them before. They also see seals, which Arronax thinks look like elegant women. They hear the walruses making loud sounds, and Arronax speculates that they are playing. It is March 20, the day before the spring equinox. Nemo observes that the next day, they will be able to measure by the light whether they are at the exact spot of the South Pole.

The next morning, Arronax invites Ned to join the observation, but he refuses. Ned has been seeming increasingly miserable and furious by the day. After breakfast, Arronax joins Nemo and two crew members on a boat, bringing measuring instruments with them. Passing whales, they arrive at their destination at nine a.m. As Nemo measures their location, Arronax heart hammers in anticipation. He shouts for joy as they realize they are indeed exactly at the South Pole. Nemo solemnly announces that he has “take[n] possession” of the South Pole, doing so by no authority other than his own.